A major advance in our understanding of key renal function is the recent recognition that the enzyme glutamine synthetase may mediate critical roles in renal electrolyte and nitrogen metabolism. Glutamine synthetase mediates the conversion of NH4+ and glutamate into glutamine, thereby ungenerating ammonia and regenerating the useful amino acid glutamine. Glutamine synthetase is expressed in multiple distinct cell types in the kidney, including cells involved in ammonia generation (proximal tubule) and those traditionally thought to be involved solely in ammonia transport (intercalated cells). The presence of glutamine synthetase in these cell types, and our preliminary data identifying its regulation in multiple conditions suggests novel and new mechanisms regulating renal ammonia metabolism and in the regulation of nitrogen balance. The overall aim of this application is to determine the roles of glutamine synthetase in the different major cell types in the kidney in which it is expressed in renal ammonia, acid-base, potassium and nitrogen metabolism. The first goal is to determine the specific role of glutamine synthetase expression in the proximal tubule. We will use Cre-loxP technology to generate mice with proximal tubule-specific glutamine synthetase deletion, which we will use to determine the role of proximal tubule glutamine synthetase in normal acid-base homeostasis, and in the renal response to metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia and dietary protein restriction. Our second aim is to determine the specific role of glutamine synthetase expression in intercalated cells. We will use Cre-loxP technology to generate mice with intercalated cell-specific glutamine synthetase deletion. We will use these mice to determine the role of intercalated cell glutamine synthetase in normal acid- base homeostasis, and in the renal response to metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia and dietary protein restriction.